Our client at Certified American Grown Flowers, came to us asking if we could help promote and sell tickets to a nationwide 10-city dinner tour that would bring attention to the idea the flowers on your table should be as fresh, local and sustainable as the food on your plate.

Our objectives were to sell out each dinner and obtain as much press and blog coverage as possible. We were promoting dinner in local flower fields or greenhouses, hosted by flower farmers with jaw-dropping floral designs from local florists. And to top it off the dinners included a feast prepared by a local chef using all fresh, local ingredients. The swoon-worthy affairs took place during a 10-month period starting in California and traveling through the country to Brooklyn, Washington D.C, Seattle, Portland, and Detroit (to name a few). The event planner and lead vision keeper Kathleen Williford, managed all ten events (plus a few in between), with efficiency and grace.

The first dinner was in an Orchid Greenhouse in Carpinteria, California in March of 2015. To promote the dinner, we publicized in the local media, on local event calendars, developed a landing page for the dinner series and used digital ads to target locals. We used social media to reach locals, and enlisted the help of our local farms, florists and chefs to help spread the word. We had the pleasure of working alongside fellow American Flower champion, Slow Flowersfounder, speaker and author Debra Prinzing who not only helped spread the word about this wonderful series, but attended each dinner (an added bonus to guests).

Two days before the dinner, we were elated to announce a sell out.

And then we got to attend our first dinner. We thought it would be beautiful, yes. We thought the food would be delicious and the floral designs would be pretty. What we experienced went much further than that, it was magical. From the moment we walked into the warm orchid greenhouse and were engulfed in the sweet scent of orchids, we knew this dinner series was something very special.

The dinner series created a conversation piece for journalists, bloggers, and floral enthusiasts to talk about the American Grown flower and its importance in the history and economic landscape of our country. And what a conversation it started. As the dinner series rolled out, so did the press coverage, in the Wall Street Journal, Sunset Magazine and Food and Wine Magazine. The advertising value of the press we received reached close to $1 million dollars and the mostly sold out (two of the dinners had a few spots left) dinners created a revenue stream that paid for itself.

We are very proud of the role we played in the success of the Field to Vase Dinner tour and are so honored that the Certified American Grown flower farmers are allowing us to join them for another tour next year, and entrusting us to help spread their very worthwhile message.

Everyone is talking about influencer marketing these days, but we know how overwhelming or even confusing that could be for you. Will it work for my business? How do I know if it’s the right thing to do? Where do I even start? These are all questions we’ve heard before and we’re here to help!

Let’s start with what influencer marketing actually is. It’s a form of marketing that focuses on key individuals (influencers) rather than targeting a market as a whole. Simply put, you’re able to talk to your target audience through a third-party endorsement and what they’re telling their audience about you and your business is much more beneficial than what you could tell their audience about you and your business. This is how you create brand advocacy and that can be a successful and cost-effective strategy.

We put our knowledge to the test recently with Expo Party Rentals, a local business that specializes in making events unforgettable. Their goal was to bring more awareness to their rental services and encourage followers to rent party supplies for their next big event instead of buying them and having to store them after the party is over. And the best part? There’s no cleaning afterwards. All dishes, linens, etc. can be returned without being washed because Expo handles all that for you. From Thanksgiving dishes to birthday party décor, the possibilities were endless!

Local fashion and lifestyle blogger, Rema Koligian, was thankful this year that using Expo Party Rentals allowed her to stress less over the details and spend time enjoying Thanksgiving with her family.

Chef Shayna Slosman hosts a weekly cooking segment on ABC30, a local news station in Fresno, CA. In her spare time, she also hosts a lifestyle and cooking blog to share tips and tricks for teaching the joy of cooking by including kids in the kitchen.

For Halloween, she and her husband decided to host a backyard party at their beautiful home. They picked out their tables, linens, décor and more, but the only thing standing in their way was the rain. That is, until Expo Party Rentals saved the day with two outdoor tents to keep their guests dry.

A realtor by day and a lifestyle blogger by night, Annie Foreman knows how to throw a good party. For her stress-free Christmas party, she eliminated all of the shopping and running around town by ordering all her items from Expo Party Rentals.

Local blogger, Pat Merlo, hosted a Five Favorite Things Party and got all the bling she needed to make her night fabulous from Expo Party Rentals. Her photos speak for themselves – she and her guests had a ton of fun at the party!

In December 2015, Facebook offered a live-streaming video option to all users and since then it’s taken off with individuals, companies and organizations sharing experiences live.

With the Facebook algorithm now favoring live video, the organic engagement from live content has allowed users to reach a far greater audience. In a blog post, Facebook Product Manager Vibhi Kants wrote, “We're making a small update to the News Feed so that Facebook Live videos are more likely to appear higher in News Feed when those videos are actually live, compared to after they are no longer live.”

By going live during the dinner, we could bring potential customers to an actual dinner in real time so they could get a taste of what a dinner experience is like. Facebook users watch live video three times longer than regular video, so we believe going live whenever possible is a smart investment.

But if you plan on going live on Facebook as a personal brand, company or organization, here are three tips to help you succeed:

Promote it to your audiences across all your social channels

This tip has to be the most overlooked step when individuals, brands or organizations plan on going live. The key to this is to make an announcement post on your news feeds about your upcoming live video on all your platforms; social accounts, email newsletter, blog, etc. Depending on the importance of your live video, you could boost your announcement post through a paid Facebook ad. It’s all about informing your audience before you go live, so make sure to schedule an announcement post days before your broadcast day and another reminder post within 30 minutes prior to making your live appearance on Facebook.

Practice, practice, practice!

Preparation for Facebook Live has many moving parts that need to be considered from the start. First is location. When planning where you’re going to go live, make sure you are able to minimize background noise and have a strong internet connection. It’s important that your audience is able to hear you clearly and see you clearly so you can successfully deliver your message. Second, decide whether you are holding your phone during your broadcast or using a device mount.

Bonus tip: PRACTICE! Be sure to do a practice video to test your sound, connection, talking points and gain an overall feel of how your video will be delivered to your live audience. It is important to remember people enjoy personable conversations. This is SOCIAL media after all! Relax, be sure to introduce yourself, your company and what you plan to cover in your live broadcast. Also make sure to have fun and don’t forget to smile!

Analyze the results for potential opportunities and growth

Take time to look into your live video metrics. You’ll be able to see helpful stats that could assist your plans for future live broadcasts. These analytics allow you to see the total number of people who watched a portion of the video, as well as a running count of how many viewers you had from the videos entirety.

From these results, try brainstorming and experimenting with different strategies for your next live videos. Try broadcasting on a different day of the week, a different time or with a longer or shorter broadcast time. You could even add a second personality with you so it’s more converstaional. It’s all about trying new and fun ways to engage your audience to get the most bang for your buck on Facebook Live. Have fun!

Let us know if you have any Facebook Live tips in the comments below! We would love to hear them all!